EVE’S SPIRIT OF LONDON

A Harrow teenager with Irish roots has been nominated for a Spirit of London Award for her outstanding work in media. Eighteen year old Eve Yasmine Saoud Easton, who has routes in Dublin and Derry, has been recognised for her journalism and also overcoming Chronic Pain Syndrome. An actress, presenter, musician and journalist, Eve is currently working at Live magazine, the voice of youth culture, and has acted as editor in chief at SuperstarMagazine.com.

The Spirit of London Awards was created by the Damilola Taylor Trust in 2009 as a way of addressing the imbalance in the way young people are portrayed in the media by bestowing awards to exceptional young people for their talent in areas as diverse as arts, media, sport and education. The awards are supported by Prime Minister David Cameron, Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand, anti- knife campaigner and actress Brooke Kinsella and many more big names.

Eve shared her delight with The Irish World: “It feels incredible to be nominated. I didn’t expect it. It’s really nice to see a big organisation having a big impact on how young people are perceived. They might think that they’re not worth investing time and money in but there should be more of it.”

The awards have been growing each year and while previous years’ events have taken place at The Roundhouse and Royal Albert Hall, the upcoming ceremony is held at the O2. Eve is especially aware of how it’s grown as she actually covered last year’s event: “One of my friends said: ‘You’ll be up there next year’. I was like: ‘Whatever’. But he was serious and he did nominate me. I’m so grateful and so excited about meeting so many other young people who are doing cool things in entertainment, sport and their communities: To be better role models and improve the image of young people.”

The nomination is testament to how Eve has overcome her condition: “I couldn’t do certain things so I never actually thought I would go from not writing at all to being in journalism. I was bullied when I was younger. Girls would put me down about my pain and say that I was lying but performance was something that gave me confidence.”

Eve will meet David Cameron at Downing Street along with all other Spirit of London nominees. Maverick Sabre and McFly will be among the performers at the event at London’s O2 on December 10. http://spiritoflondonawards.com/.